Moore, Johnson return to Indiana - Purdue Exponent

Posted: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 10:00 am | Updated: 10:10 am, Tue Jan 17, 2012.

The Boilermakers of Boston returned to Indiana for the first time since going pro on Saturday and Purdue fans made sure the two had a warm reception.

When former Boilers JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, now Boston Celtics, faced off against the Indiana Pacers, Boiler Nation came out in support of the duo and cheered for the pair despite the Celtics’ 97-83 loss. Fans weren’t the only ones to show support either, as Purdue head coach Matt Painter and the men’s basketball team were also in attendance.

“It is relaxing actually, to be able to watch them and not have to coach them,” Painter said in Monday’s teleconference. “You’re proud of them and hope they continue to work. I know both of them don’t just want to make the NBA, they want to stick in the NBA.”

The game ended with a Johnson dunk off an assist by Moore that started a round of the “Boiler Up” chant. After the game, fans had the opportunity to attend a question and answer session. There, they discovered Moore enjoys the Boston seafood, Johnson thinks Painter is more intense than Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and the pair thoroughly appreciates still being teammates.

“I think just having somebody that you’ve known forever, you feel real comfortable with.” Johnson said. “It makes it a lot easier on you because he can relate to everything you went through. You can be like, ‘Man, this is different from Purdue.’ He can be like, ‘Yeah I know what you mean.’ It makes the transition a lot smoother.”

Moore said it was a great feeling being on the same team, and that he didn’t expect to go to Boston. Both he and Johnson said having veterans such as Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on their team has also helped in their transition.

“They teach us a lot,” Moore said. “You’ve got some veterans who are selfish or not wanting to teach you things. Every day we come in and they’ll teach us something different whether it’s on the court or off the court.”

Moore said in addition to his experience with the NBA stars, he was able to learn a lot about what would be expected from him during his time spent playing in Italy. He also enjoyed the shopping and cuisine.

“I definitely learned a lot about being a pro,” Moore said. “The pace of the game and just what coaches are looking for on the pro level. Anybody, if you want to go to Italy, you should go â€" a lot of shopping, a lot of good food.”

When it comes to coaches, the two agreed that Painter is more intense than Rivers.

“I would say they’re both intense but Painter took it to another level,” Johnson said. “He’s a lot tougher on our legs, I would say, too.”

The remark of Painter brought laughter from both the crowd and the Purdue team in the second level of the arena. Johnson praised the team and left them with one warning.

“We do not lose to IU,” Johnson said.

Johnson ended the night with four points and two rebounds in 2:38 of play. Moore finished with seven points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals in just over 20 minutes of playing time. Moore set a career high in scoring while Johnson tied his career high.

The Celtics return to Indianapolis on April 7 and a similar meet and greet event may be held.

Posted in Sports, Basketball on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 10:00 am. Updated: 10:10 am.